VF-2SS Valkyrie II Super Armed Pack
Review by VF5SS
What can you say about the 1992 OVA series Macross II: Lovers Again. It sure does exist and let's leave it at that.
This review is meant to focus on what is currently the only mainstream merchandise of the VF-2SS Valkyrie II that can transform. And it looks like that's not going to change anytime soon.
My own personal history with this kit goes back to the days when I would often visit Bop City Comics (now Bedrock Comics) and buy all their nifty robot toys and kits. At the time I was fascinated by the VF-2SS kit because unlike the other Macross kits, it could transform and appeared to be easy to assemble. I do have a bunch of Imai, Arii, and Bandai kits but those were mostly built and painted by my father after which I would play with them. Sadly I missed out on the VF-2SS kit at the time and it wouldn't be until years later I ever saw it again. Now in the aftermarket, this kit tended to be kind of expensive. Also it seemed like each time it was reissued for the next big Macross anniversary, certain people would pre-order like five kits just to hock them on eBay.
I'm not bitter or anything.
So when I finally had some money, I pre-ordered the VF-2SS to make sure I would get one.
So here is the mythical VF-2SS Valkyrie Super Armed Pack's box. It's pretty nice as far as boxes go. The image of the Valkyrie II laid over a drawing of Ishtar is pretty classy.
The sides of the box are pretty standard. You've got images of the kit in its various modes with highlights of the gimmicks.
I like this image of the built up kit in particular because of how the photographer had to angle the big rail gun forward just to keep the Valkyrie II from toppling backwards. Also I hope you like these pics of the finished kit because mine sure as hell ain't painted or even stickered.
Below the above image is some information about the kit itself. Anyone care to translate?
In the box you get a good sized poster of Ishtar that pulls double duty with the kit's instructions on the back.
You get two sets of stickers with this kit. The first is a set of paper stickers for things like the chest stripes, canopy cover, and the yellow dot on the Valkyrie II's forehead. You also get those weird Macross II UN Spacy kites. As this kit is marked as being Captain Nexx's Valkyrie II you only get blue chest stripes. This was presumably done because Nexx is both male and the only named character to do cool things with the Valkyrie II.
The next sheet is full of those little thin plastic stickers everyone loves. I always love putting the name of the robot on the robot itself so the sheet comes with plenty of those stickers. We also get those ubiquitous "VF" stickers that go near the feet. Despite those things appearing on almost every old Macross kit or toy, I've never seen them as being part of the official markings.
Now before anyone asks you cannot built this kit without the Super Armed Pack. All the armor parts are integrated into the kit itself. The Bandai subsidiary B-Club did make conversion kits which allow you to build an unarmored Valkyrie II. These were resin kits made for advanced modelers and are long out of print. The Valkyrie is rarely seen unarmored in Macross II so it wasn't a huge priority for Bandai to make the kit capable of doing both configurations. In fact, outside of the show's opening and eyecatches the Valkyrie II is always armored.
The VF-2SS Valkyrie II is true to its name, an upgraded version of the classic VF-1 Valkyrie. It was designed by both Kazumi Fujita (who I believe did the initial design) and the most dangerous man himself, Koichi Ohata. This most obvious difference between this Valkyrie and the ones Kawamori designed are the less attention paid to faux-realism in the fighter mode. The Valkyrie II and its fellow VF's from Macross II are all very futuristic.
As for the kit itself, it is molded in three colors with a pair of clear green parts for the canopy and eye piece. The green is very vibrant and looks very pleasing. Due to the age of the kit, things like parts fit and seam lines are all serviceable but not outstanding. This is from the era of Gundam F-91 kits so there are polycaps a plenty involved in the Valkyrie II's construction. Overall it does look good in fighter mode but the weight of that big rail gun tends to make the whole backpack sag downward. Also for the life of me I cannot get the arms to tuck under enough to allow the nose wheel to reach the ground. As far as stability is concerned, the main body does have locking tabs to keep it together for fighter and Gerwalk mode. The legs are fairly stable while the arms tend to sag down when the fighter is picked up.
The model possesses a good amount of detail such as a small pilot and console under the canopy.
Seeing as this is an updated VF-1, the question of how it handles the tricky leg transformation has an impact on the model itself. The VF-1 is somewhat infamous for it's weird leg transfer mechanism that no toy or kit has every attempted to replicate. So what did the collective efforts of Fujita and Ohata come up with?
Oh boy. Tiny hinges attached to small articulated rods. Yeah let's just forget about that.
So instead of transforming hip parts, the Valkyrie II comes with three pre-transformed hip pieces to get the legs where they need to be in each mode. Going left to right, the pieces are for Fighter, Battroid, and Gerwalk. You simply peg the legs into these parts using a ball and socket joint. The ball on each joint is actually a little bigger than the cavity the socket rests in so you have to force it through.
Top prep the legs for Gerwalk mode you extend the telescoping knee joint like in modern Valkyrie toys and expand the thigh joint. The thigh mechanism is fairly intricate and robust for a kit its age. Next you plug the legs into the appropriate hip part and plug them back into the Valkyrie II.
The fully armed Valkyrie II is looking pretty sweet in Gerwalk mode. There is no useful articulation in the legs but at least their static nature lets the kit stand up. The arms have fairly good articulation due to the numerous polycap joints and since this kits wings are permanently retracted there is nothing to impede the arms. Sadly the fists do not retract on this kit.
To prep the kit for Battroid mode you attach the legs to the final hip piece. Not only is this the biggest hip piece, it also contains numerous pegs for locking the two halves of the Valkyrie II's body together.
Prepping the upper body involves some very familiar motions for any VF-1 fan. Swing the arms out and fold the body in half along the big ol' hinges. Note the single screw that holds the whole arm mechanism together. Also you can see the small locking tabs near the base of the backplate.
Popping everything together nets you one Valkyrie II in Battroid mode. It stands about as well as a kit with a huge amount of plastic on top and mostly hollow legs would.
For my own sanity I'm going to show off the articulation with the backpack attached. Again it's pretty standard for a Bandai kit of the time. The thighs bump into the wings so the hips are somewhat limited.
What good is a Valkyrie without guns? The VF-2SS comes with Nexx's custom heavy rail gun which features a collapsible body and swing-out handle and hand guard.
You can store the heavy rail gun on the leg pack.
Also included is the standard medium rail gun. This weapon does not collapse like it is supposed to but still features a swing-out handle and leg guard. Now in the lineart this medium rail gun stores inside the arm packs. This kit does not do this. One has to wonder where does either gun store when the VF-2SS is without its Super Armed Pack.
The real gimmick of that huge rail gun (rail gun means it is the future) is the ability for the whole thing to hinge over the head. This is cool in theory but it suffers a bit when you realize the whole thing just kind of rests on the head with the articulated arm on the back supporting it. Plus the little flap over the face is a little goofy.
If there is one thing this kit does really well, it is the head. It looks perfect. The clear green visor piece is a nice touch.
Well that's the VF-2SS Valkyrie II kit by Bandai. In the end it is what it is, a nearly twenty year old kit of a transformable airplane. A competent modeler can probably do a lot more with this kit but on its own it's decent enough. If anything the overall engineering of the kit gives us an idea of what a VF100s VF-2SS would have been because yes, Bandai did show interest in doing a VF100s toy of the Valkyrie II. It would be the same size as this kit and would most likely have the same kind of hip mechanism. Of course anyone who read Josh's review of the VF100s VF-25F knows that VF100s were terribly executed and the line quickly died only to be replaced by VF Hi-metal. The unspoken hope was that all the ideas for VF100 would be transferred to VF Hi-metal. Sadly VF Hi-metal also appears to have petered out so the future looks grim for any hope of a modern VF-2SS figure.
At least we got that tiny fighter mode trading figure.
As for me? Well I finally got that kit I missed out on as a child. In some way it makes it all worth it.
Comments
21 comments postedWhile I'll agree that the OVA wasn't really worth talking about, I think it's a shame this design doesn't get more time in the spotlight. I actually really like it and think it's a great compromise between the original VF-1 lineart and what would become the next 'accepted' design, the VF-11 from Macross Plus.
Just because the show is lousy doesn't mean the world must shun the poor robot... be strong, VF-2!
As I said in my own comment below, I agree that the VF-11C is a good bridge between in-canon Valkyries and the VF-2SS. It definitely has a similar aura of authenticity compared to the -19 and -22.
The second time this month that I have been swiped with a model kit review, I have this in the mail to me as we speak.
Then again it wouldn't be until next year that I would actually build it!
Awesome that you finally got to build one, it looks great and I always thought it was a mysterious model kit.
It hard to believe that the VF-2 is looking like a classic design now.
Great, thanks for giving me a heads up, looking forward to finally building it myself.
Leonardo
Feel free to add your own pics to this review once you've built yours. It'd be nice to have pics of a painted kit.
I liked Macross II actually.
No panel lining the kit?
I always thought the Mac2 designs deserved more love than they got. I guess the OVA's failure to be super-popular doomed them to obscurity (unlike the stuff from Mac+).
I do remember buying all the Palladium "Macross 2" RPG books though, just for the art. And for the production stuff by Dream Pod Nine, back before they were famous...
I note that a certain site is advertising repops of the old Musasiya resin kit. Not transformable but it looks like a good representation of the fighter mode (and you can build it without the super pack.)
Man, this is one of the many Macross items I sold off to help buy an airplane ticket...I wish I still had it. Would have loved to build it :(
Little planes let you ride on the big plane.
yeah thats true, although the little ones tend to be cooler
Aww, yeah- finally the VF-2SS Valkyrie II gets some lovin' on CDX!
And who better to review it than teh Veef himself, VF5SS!?
Many of you have heard me dis on Valkyrie designs after DYRL many times, but perhaps you also might recall that the biggest exception to this dislike is the VF-2SS, for which I have the utmost respect and adoration.
Truly, IMHO, this is the best successor to the classic VF-1 model. It is a very slick, superior multi-role fighter which is clearly been evolved from the experiences of Space War I. It is also quite compact in its features despite its stylish and imposing outward appearance- blink and you don't see it coming to kill you.
But something else works for me here. The VF-2SS was clearly designed as a space superiority fighter as opposed to its VF-1 predecessor which was multi-environment, even though the former can still function just as well in atmosphere. (Atmospheric defense lays instead with the non-space VF-2JA, which I also like though not as much as the one shown above.)
Rather than just being slapped on as an afterthought, the next-gen SAP works as an integral part of the Valkyrie II's design and actually compliments it in a way the FAST Packs of old couldn't. Nothing is lost and all is gained by having a SAP attached, including a massive and accurate railgun and many more micro-missiles per unit. And then it turns around and provides the traditional Gatling cannon and head-mounted lasers.
And, BTW, so what if it's back-heavy? It's a space fighter, so it's not like it'll tip over!
Much love do I have for the VF-2SS and its SAP, much love. (Actually I really liked a lot of the "M2" UN Spacy mecha designs including the OP Macross Cannon!)
The only thing I ever had a problem with was why it has a pair of faux 'air intakes' on the inboard front? All they do is lead air right into the undercarriage where the arms are stored. I never got that. Oh well!
Yeah "Macross 2- Lovers Again" wasn't that great a show, but it absolutely amazes me that the mecha designs didn't take off in Japan, whether designed by the original guys from the '80s-or-not.
I'm still waiting for Yamato to pick up the license for this guy and give us a 1/60 version. That right there is my Macross Holy Grail, along with a ver2.0 1/60 VF-1S Strike Hikaru, DYRL SDF-1, and VF-11C w/ SAP (which is the only in-canon successor design I like so far).
VF5SS, there was one little thing I have a pick about in your otherwise-excellent review. I thought you were a little harsh about the hip transformation. No Valkyrie VF-1 model ever has- or will?- feature a completely accurate transformation. And, seeing as this is a model, it's perfectly understandable to have a little parts-swapping. Yeah, the model is starting to show its age, but I don't think those three hip connectors are it.
EDIT: Oh, and coincidentally, I got to attend the Centennial of Naval Aviation at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NAS-WI) on July 30, 2011, and I saw several modern military planes with model numbers on them, including a Eurocopter Coast Guard helicopter. So I don't think that's as unusual as you may think.
Answer: me.
I just saw this:
Manga Entertainment recently put Macross II: The Movie (dubbed) with no breaks onto YouTube! Runtime is over 1:30hr.
(*watches the first 30min*)
Wow, I forgot how bad that dub was; it's been over 15 years since I first saw it.
UPDATE: Damn, they left out the last two segments, and they're not anywhere else on YouTube. =(
I, was twelve years old in! The first attack! Seven! Years ago!
Did they make a DVD of it with English subs?
"Star mecha of Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II, the OVA (Original Video Animation) that debuted in May '92, Nexx' personalized Super Armed Pack Valkyrie II has been rendered in 1/100-scale 3D. By re-constructing one unit you can transform it into a Battroid, Gerwalk, or Fighter. Construction accomplished via single-screw-held (一部ビス止め, "ichibu vis[e] tome") Snap Fit. For the benefit of those who desire the most realistic construction, and those who prefer the simpler finishing method, both a set of seals (stickers, I think) and a set of decals are included."
Oh neat.
I always thought the star of Macross II was Ishtar and her two friends.
Oh, good call. That should be "Star mecha". Let me fix that for... me.
Edit: weird, I can edit this post, but not that prior one?
I got ya covered dude.
I've always loved this Valkyrie design.
Their I said it.
...in a public place for all to read.
...and I'll probably be tarred and feathered over Macrossworld for heresy by some troll. Shrug. So be it.
I always though this mecha design was a perfectly logical extension of the original VF-1 (though I don't buy into the whole 'head shield' with the rail gun thing. I mean why?)
I've had this model for years. Bought it when it first came out from a store, 'Heros Club' (later called SF SF...or was it the other way around, cant remember) where the owner of the store had put one together in battleroid mode. Every seam filled and smoothed, graphics painted on instead of applied, lightly weathered. One of the most beutifull things I've ever seen.
Seems every few years I pull it out thinking 'this time i'm going to do it.' Then I think back on that model sitting in that glass case in that store and sigh. There is no frick'n way I could ever come close to that level of finish that I saw way back when so why bother. Instead I spend some time looking at the parts, lovingly put it all back in the box and back on the shelf.
Someday though. Someday.
It seems that what the consensus of MACII is: Most people like the Mecha (which I do) but dislike the actual anime (having just re watched recently since it first came out, it's better than I remember but still just OK).
I personally prefer the mecha from MacII than Mac7.
Unfortunately, besides this kit, all the other MacII kits are high end collector resin kits.
Leonardo
I have a small amount of nostalgia for the design because I bought back in the early 90's that Macross II roleplaying book.
Hi, I just got this kit, but it didn't include the assembly instructions.
Would it be possible for you to send me those instructions?
Thanks in advance